Abigaba tiles

The Abigaba tiles (also called Chozo tiles) are a set of ASCII-derivative tiles for NetHack and SLASH'EM that are designed to provide an experience somewhere between a graphical game and an ASCII-game. Monsters are rendered according to the letter of the alphabet that with which they are represented, but with fonts, colors, and embellishments suggestive of what they represent. Most other items (weapons, potions, scrolls, dungeon features, etc.) are purely graphical. The key advantage of Abigaba tiles is that it is easy and intuitive for experienced players to learn what the tiles represent, while still providing a level of graphic detail that appeals to newer players.

Abigaba tiles are available as an option on several ports of NetHack and SLASH'EM, including Dirk Zimmerman's iNetHack and SLASH'EM for iPhone and NetHack HD for iPad.